As we count down to the arrival of 2023, the journal Nature summarizes the 9 scientific fields for which it is estimated that humanity is expected to see leaps and bounds.
Myriam Kiassou
Moon landings, mRNA vaccines and climate action funding are among the breakthroughs that will shape the research landscape in the coming year.
More specifically, as we count down to the arrival of 2023, Nature magazine summarizes the 9 scientific fields for which it is estimated that humanity is expected to see leaps and bounds.
Next generation vaccines
Following the successful development of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, BioNTech in Mainz, Germany is expected to begin first-in-human trials of mRNA vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and genital herpes within the next few weeks. .
BioNTech is partnering with New York-based Pfizer to test an mRNA-based vaccine candidate to reduce the rate of shingles in the body.
Moderna in Cambridge, Mass., also has mRNA vaccine candidates for the viruses that cause genital herpes and shingles.
Advanced look into space
The first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) caused global awe.
Some of JWST’s findings about the early universe were published this year, and astronomers will continue to share the results of that research and the telescope’s discoveries about the characteristics of galaxies next year.
The Euclid space telescope, still under construction by the European Space Agency (ESA), is set to orbit the sun for 6 years to take pictures to create a 3D map of the universe.
It is due to be ready by 2023.
The same is true for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy mission.
It is an Earth-orbiting satellite that will detect X-ray radiation from distant stars and galaxies.
“Mapping” pathogens
The World Health Organization is expected to publish a revised list of pathogens that experts should pay special attention to in the coming year as they could potentially pose a threat to expanded outbreaks.
About 300 scientists will review data on more than 25 families of viruses and bacteria. to identify pathogens that could potentially be a future threat to global health.
Travels to the Moon
2023 will undoubtedly be a year of strong challenges in terms of space research since scientists await the data from 3 three missions to the Moon.
The United Arab Emirates’ Rashid rover, NASA’s lunar lens and Japan’s HAKUTO-R Mission 1 are expected to attempt a lunar landing within the next year.. April.
Also the Indian Space Research Organization’s lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-3, will land near the South Pole in mid-2023.
In 2023 we will also share in the first civilian trip to the Moon, with 11 people embarking on a 6-day private spaceflight aboard the SpaceX Starship rocket.
Good news is likely to be learned within 2023 and around the field of research into the treatment of beta thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, two genetic blood disorders, as within the next time frame it is not unlikely that the first gene therapy approval will occur. of CRISPR editing, following promising results from clinical trials using the CRISPR–Cas9 system to treat the two diseases.
Loss and damage
The agreement on a loss and damage support fund during the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, last month marked an important step towards climate justice.
Under the agreement, rich countries historically responsible for high emissions will financially compensate poorer nations, which have borne the brunt of climate change.
The details of this – arguably historic decision – however, still need to be explored.
Specifically, physicists revealed the first results of the g-2 muon experiment in April this year and are expected to publish more precise results in 2023. The experiment studies how short-lived particles known as muons behave in magnetic fields and creates a sensitive test of the standard model of particle physics.
A committee on the “transition” period to this regime is expected to meet before the end of March to make recommendations on how to offer the paid-up funds – as compensation.
Delegates from around the world are then expected to receive further information during the United Nations COP28 conference in Dubai next November.
Minor
Impressive findings are also expected from the field of Physics.
Physicists revealed the first results of the g-2 muon experiment in April this year and are expected to publish more precise results in 2023.
The experiment studies how short-lived particles known as muons behave in magnetic fields, with the findings representing a major breakthrough in the field of particle physics.
Alzheimer’s
Of course, the long-awaited arrival of a drug for Alzheimer’s also brings hope to all mankind, as within the first days of January, the US regulatory authorities will announce whether the drug, which slowed the rate of cognitive decline in a very optimistic – in terms of findings – clinical trial1, may become available to people with Alzheimer’s disease.
The drug was developed by pharmaceutical company Eisai and biotech company Biogen and is called Lecanemab.
It is a monoclonal antibody that clears the amyloid-beta protein that accumulates in the brain.
The clinical trial included 1,795 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s and showed that Lecanemab slowed mental decline by 27% compared to a placebo.
However, some scientists believe this represents a modest benefit for patients while others are concerned about the drug’s safety.
Nuclear storage
The world’s first nuclear waste storage facility is due to start operating next year on Olkiluoto, an island off the southwest coast of Finland.
The Finnish government approved the construction of the underground repository in 2015, for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel.
Up to 6,500 tons of radioactive uranium will be packed into copper containers, which will be covered with clay and buried inside tunnels made of granite rock 400 meters underground.
The nuclear material will remain sealed there for several hundred thousand years – until then the radiation levels will be harmless.
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